The San Antonio Spurs have announced that they have signed guards Kyle Bailey, Stephen Graham and forwards Sharrod Ford, Melvin Sanders and Jawad Williams. Per club policy terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Bailey, a 6-2 guard, twice earned All-West Coast Conference honors during his four years at Santa Clara. He is tops on the Broncos all-time lists in games (127) and minutes played (3,897).

Ford
Ford averaged 4.3 points and 2.3 rebounds for the New Jersey Nets in the 2005 Reebok Vegas Summer League. Ford also earned Third Team All-ACC honors at Clemson after averaging 14.9 points and 8.2 rebounds during his senior season.

The 6-6, 215-pound Graham appeared in six contests with the Phoenix Suns in the 2005 Reebok Summer League where he averaged 10.5 points and 3.8 rebounds. He played for the Oklahoma State Cowboys in 2003-04 and 2004-05 after sitting out the 2002-03 campaign as a transfer from Central Florida.

Sanders suited up for the Silver and Black in the 2005 Rocky Mountain Revue. The 6-5, 210-pounder led the team with 14.5 points, while adding 2.4 rebounds in five games. During the 2004-05 season, Sanders was named Second Team All-CBA and All-Defensive First Team while playing for the Dakota Wizards.

Williams
Williams was a member of the North Carolina Tar Heels 2005 National Championship team. He averaged 13.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in 37 games. Over the summer he appeared with Golden State Warriors in the Reebok Vegas Summer League where he averaged 6.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in five games.

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see WIlliams and/or Sanders on the final roster. Williams is the guy who made the quote about Bruce Bowen. "I know I can play at this level," Williams said. "I'll be a Bruce Bowen if I have to."

Just as meticulous preparation of, and total commitment to, practice sessions greatly enhances a team's chances to win games, what a franchise does and does not do in the off-season has an enormous influence on how the team will perform once the season commences.

A huge part of a general manager's job description is to design a workable game plan that will hopefully lead to success. The options are numerous:
Should his team rely on youngsters or on veterans? And if playing time is mixed and matched, in what proportions should daylight be allotted? Let the kids lose and learn? Or hope that the vets have enough left to win right now?

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Should his team run and gun or play station-to-station basketball? Be guard, forward, or center-centric? Employ two distinct units? Emphasize defense or offense? Once a game plan is established, the GM must than find the right coach and the right players to implement that design.

Heading into the new season, a few teams have chosen to virtually stand pat — namely Golden State, Orlando, Toronto and New Orleans. Some teams have done a stellar job of either rebuilding or enhancing their roster while remaining faithful to their blueprint for success. Others have made foolish moves based on either misguided game plans or no discernible game plans at all.

Let's take a close look at the best and worst of these summertime tinkerings.

The best

San Antonio
Added: Michael Finley, Nick Van Exel, Fabrio Oberto.

Subtracted: Devon Brown, Glenn Robinson, Tony Massenburg.

In a strictly Xs and O's sense, general manager R.C. Buford has done his usual outstanding job. Tim Duncan remains at the hub of their offense, while Tony Parker scoots and shoots, Manu Ginobili finds driving lanes where none seem to exist, and Robert Horry routinely makes big plays. Under Gregg Popovich's stern direction, the Spurs play smart and play hard. But not even championship teams are perfect.

Indeed, with a barely serviceable center tandem of Nazr Mohammed and Tony Massenburg, last year's team was forced to play T.D. in the middle and Horry at power forward whenever a game was up for grabs. The 6-10 Oberto was a teammate of Ginobili's on Argentina's gold-medal winning team at the Athens Olympics. At 30, he's a staunch veteran of international play, showing good hands, a rugged disposition, and a willingness to play team ball. His presence will reduce the long season's wear and tear on both Duncan and Horry, as well as increasing the bench time of Mohammed's bad hands and chronic foul trouble.

Another problem for the Spurs has been the dry spells occasionally suffered by their offense. This usually happens when Parker takes (and misses) hurried shots, and Ginobili likewise can't find the range. Adding hot shot scorers like Van Exel and Finley certainly fills in the empty spaces, but there are consequences. Finley's arrival means diminished playing time for Brent Barry, who's faster and has a much quicker shot release than his replacement. Finley does play better defense, but he's more of a one-on-one type of scorer who might struggle in adjusting to the Spurs' team concept. Also, as his career advances, Finley's game has become soft around the edges.

Nick (the not so quick anymore) Van Exel is another player who'd rather create his own scoring opportunities. Bad shot selection and inferior defense have always plagued Van Exel's performance. Van Exel is strictly a streak shooter and if his hot spells coincide with the Spurs' cold spells, then San Antonio has a leg up on a repeat championship.

Bet on Oberto, Finley, and Van Exel to eventually blend in perfectly with the Spurs' scheme of things.
Miami
Added: Antoine Walker, Gary Payton, James Posey, Jason Williams.

There's no questioning the talents of Miami's newcomers, but Pat Riley is taking several risks with such a wholesale upheaval of his roster. Throughout their careers, Walker, Payton, and Williams have been extremely selfish players. Also, Posey showed up at Memphis' preseason camp a year ago fat, sassy, and too full of himself.

Both Walker and Williams are prone to taking horrible shots. At age 37, Payton can no longer keep opposing guards out of the middle, and is useless in defending screen/rolls. But if Posey can get his body (and his head) in workable condition, he'll provide much more toughness than did Eddie Jones.

Poll

Apparently, Miami is depending upon the overpowering presence of Shaq to keep everybody in line. Riley must be hoping that Shaq will do a better job with Walker, Williams et al than he did with Kobe (and Payton, for that matter) in L.A.

Give GM Jim Paxson credit for improving the Cavs' firepower. But there are still questions to be answered: Will Larry Hughes' slashing, penetrating game duplicate LeBron's specific skills? Will Hughes' gambling defense compromise the fundamentally sound defensive gameplan that new coach Mike Brown hopes to install? The perimeter shooting of Marshall and Jones will hugely benefit from LeBron's penetrating and dishing capablitities — but can Marshall and Jones guard any better than the defensively challenged LeBron?

If everything falls into place, the Cavs will be an awesome offensive force. The team still lacks a banger in the middle, and a face-to-face stopper at any position. Even so, a significant step in the right direction for Cleveland.

The worst

Dallas
Added: Doug Christie, DeSagana Diop

Subtracted: Michael Finley, Alan Henderson, Shawn Bradley (retired)

Losing Finley to free agency is a devastating blow. Bradley was soft and won't be missed, while Henderson was a solid role player. After four years in the league, Diop remains a work in progress and will most likely never develop into a forceful big man.

The problem is Christie. He's selfish, arrogant, short-armed whenever a game is up for grabs, and washed up. The players on the last two teams he played for —Sacramento and Orlando — couldn't wait for him to leave town. What Dallas needs is players at any position who can play hard-nosed defense; a physical and courageous scorer to offset Dirk Nowitzki's lack of toughness; and a true point guard so that the erratic shoot-'em-up Jason Terry can revert to his natural position as sixth man.

Instead, Don Nelson came up with Christie. It's called subtraction by addition.

GM Elgin Baylor has done it again — he's made a bad team worse. Of the departees, the loss of Simmons will be hardest to overcome. He could shoot, score, and was an acceptable defender. Jaric was smart, unselfish, and dependable, if not sufficiently quick to excel at the point. The rest were totally expendable.

Adding Cassell and Mobley, however, introduces a pair of shoot-first, malcontented, defenseless guards to the mix. But since that was the scouting report on Baylor, it's totally appropriate that he wants to cast his team in his own image.

How many shots will be left over for Elton Brand and Corey Maggette? And what does Cassell's overweening presence do to the projected development of Shaun Livington?

The result of Baylor's off-season machinations is another typically dysfunctional team.

Yeah, yeah, everybody's talking about how GM Bryan Colangelo added bulk and toughness to the Suns' front line. To say nothing of the defensive forthrightness of Thomas and Bell. And, hey, Jones' long-range shooting is a perfect match for Steve Nash's fancy passings. Also, moving Shawn Marion back to his more natural small-forward slot will be absolutely beneficial. Right?

Not completely.

In truth, Thomas has been worn to a nub by having to play center for too many seasons in New York. Grant is strong, brave, but weak-kneed and undersized. Bell, indeed, is solid on both ends. Jones can't put the ball on the floor to any great advantage. And House is inconsistent and shot happy.

Missing from the team's new equation are Johnson's versatility, deadly 3-point shooting, slightly more than adequate defense, and ability to create shots whenever the Suns' running game is stalled. Also, Q's strength, treys, and earnest defense.

While returning Marion to small forward will make him more comfortable and less likely to be overpowered, the move also severely handicaps the Suns' vaunted fast break. With the swift Amare Stoudemire at center and Marion at power forward, Phoenix was able to run a five-man break. This, in fact, was the secret of last season's success. But with either Thomas or Grant in the lineup, the Suns' four-man break won't present anything as unique or as undefendable.

I like the signings of Graham and Williams who both had decent college careers with talented teams in Okla. St and UNC. Melvin Sanders who also played at Okla. St would be a really good pickup for practices and added insurance in case of injuries and for future stock. Two of the four will most likely be signed for the regular season and be sent to the D league of just be inactive. Shoud be a very competitive and upbeat camp.

Jawad is normally listed as 6'8 or 6'9. He has a long reach and can hit the three. He was second fiddle behind Mays, Marvin Williams, McCants and Felton.

Stephen Graham is the twin bro of Joey Graham, who was drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft by the Raps. Both played at Ok St. Stephen is a good rugged defender that could impress Pop because he does know how to play D.

He did everything North Carolina coach Roy Williams asked. He played defense, worked hard and hustled. He provided leadership and when needed came through in the clutch. He was a starter on the national championship team.

Yet, he wasn't drafted.

"I have no clue what happened," Williams said. "I did what my team needed me to do. I stepped up in big games."

Williams has landed with the Warriors' summer-league team and is determined to prove his name should have been called. He said he could help an NBA team the same way he helped the Tar Heels.

He's 6-foot-9, 220 pounds and has good athleticism. He's versatile, but hasn't shown that he's great at anything in particular. He said he can do more, but he hasn't been in a situation that allowed him the opportunities.

"He's solid," said Warriors assistant coach Mario Elie, head coach of the Warriors' summer-league squad. "He plays defense. He works hard. He has a good feel for the game."

Williams said the only thing good about draft day was watching his friends and Tar Heel teammates -- Marvin Williams, Raymond Felton, Sean May and Rashad McCants -- get drafted. But even his happiness for them couldn't ease his disappointment for being "overlooked."

He said he knows he's better than several of the players that were taken. But the knock on him was that he isn't skilled enough to play small forward and isn't strong enough to play power forward; he doesn't wow you with his potential, doesn't pack much upside.

Baloney, Williams says.

"A lot of those guys can't compete and won't compete at my level," Williams said. "How many players have had upside in the NBA and now they're not even around? Robert Horry doesn't have any upside, but look what he does. ... And the talk was that people wanted winners."

Williams is going to have to really impress the Warriors to earn a spot, considering the wealth of forwards already under contract. But he said any team that wants to win, and soon, would give him serious consideration rather than wait on some project to turn into the next big thing.

"I know I can play at this level," Williams said. "I'll be a Bruce Bowen if I have to."

How many players can we send to austin? 1 or 2? seems like a good idea to pick a kid you think you can mold and hold on to him and see what happens, personally i'd like to spurs to take a chance on Graham.

Apparently very few here think these guys will have an impact. I am guessing Williams makes the team. In fact, I'll guarantee it. The guy is a perfect fit in terms of his size and position. I think he will be 10 times better than LJIII ever was. He came out of a big time program and has a great pedigree. Don't be surprised when he makes the teams.

Sanders, Graham and Williams all will be given a look, because they have the potential to become decent role players.

Jawad Williams was a pretty good prospect some time ago, but I read more than once that his small hands prevent him from realizing his potential and that he is a tweener, too slow and bad handling for SF and no strength for PF.

Melvin Sanders in the Utah Summer League:

The Spurs’ 6-5 Melvin Sanders is a high energy guy. He can run and play hard all day, including in a practice and a game. He speaks with energy as well. He just has those synapses that click fast. Scott Church was commenting to me that Bruce Bowen, when defending, moves his arms the fastest he’s ever seen. Can’t say I’ve seen anyone do so as fast as Bruce myself. It’s a synapse thing; a hard work thing; a commitment thing. Melvin started for the Spurs against Atlanta and played 27 minutes, second only to Johnsen on the team. Sanders guarded NBA starter Josh Childress, helping limit the 6-8 former All-American to 6 points in 22 minutes. "He’s a great ballplayer. I just wanted to compete and play hard; that’s all I try to pride myself on. I’m not a trash talker or anything like that. I just play hard and what happens, happens. Once you’re in the lines, it really doesn’t matter if they’re NBA starters or 1st round draft picks." Melvin led SA in assists (4), and had 13 points on 9 FGAs.

The Dakota Wizards’ CBA star is the same height as Devin Brown. So he looks like both an insurance policy if DB is not re-signed, and/or a possibility to back-up the frenetic Bowen. Melvin almost made the Nuggets last year for the defensive minded Jeff Bzdelik. Unlike several fellow Oklahoma State products, Sanders wasn’t drafted. "Sometimes you gotta take the hard road. I’m just uphill climbing, trying to get in the NBA, and I’m having fun doing it." If he doesn’t make the NBA this year, Melvin is looking at lucrative overseas possibilities. Coaches Gregg Popovich, PJ Carlesimo, Mike Budenholzer attended the game.

You are hundred percent right with that assesment. I live in NC so I have watched a lot of UNC games down here. Jawad doesn't really have the potential to be the solution at the 3 spot. The guy has always been a tweener like you said he is not fast enough to guard the 3's and he has always been undersized at the 4. At best your are looking at another Malik Rose type of player and most likely a guy who just doesn't really have a defined position in the NBA. I would say not to expect anything out of this guy.

"A lot of those guys can't compete and won't compete at my level," Williams said. "How many players have had upside in the NBA and now they're not even around? Robert Horry doesn't have any upside, but look what he does. ... And the talk was that people wanted winners."

i'm sure horry will have to give jawad some ribbing for that.

__________________Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.-- Albert Einstein - US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)